Manhood 101: Tie it like a Boss

The training for manhood is made of many things and learning how to tie a tie one of them. Sure you can be a man without mastering the art of tying a tie but at some point in your life you will end up with a tie looking more like the one on the left rather than the one on the right

Ahem... I highly doubt this is what you are aiming for. Of course some types of tie knots such as the Eldredge require a lot of practice and are not necessarily the ones you would venture into sporting unless you are adventurous…
 Anyway the post of today is about how to tie a tie and is dedicated to all the men who up to now still struggle to properly tie a tie. Gentlemen, the day of glory has come so open your eyes, pay attention because this is going to change your life.

There are over 20 (and I am sure it is a lot more than that!) ways to tie a tie and when choosing one of them you have to take into account the type of fabric the tie is made of, the occasion you are sporting the tie knot for and also the collar of the shirt you are wearing the knot on. I won’t go over all of the different ways to tie a tie but I will talk about the most common ones. So here we go!


1- The Four-in-hand knot

 This is the most common and the simplest way of tying a tie. It a very narrow knot and is best used for tie made of heavy fabrics. It should be worn with a tab, button-down or regular spread collar. Personally I’m not a big fan of it due to my OCD for things to be symmetrical (especially for ties)
below is a drawing showing you how tie a four-in-hand tie which by the way is a classic knot that works for any non-dressy type of occasion.



· 1. Start with the wide end of the tie on the right and the small end on the left. Begin with the small end slightly above your belly-button (will vary depending on your height and the length & thickness of your tie). Only move the active (wide) end.

· 2. Wide end over the small end to the left

· 3. Under the small end and to the right

· 4. Across the front and to the left

· 5. Up into the neck loop from underneath

· 6. Down through the loop you've just made in the front

· 7. Tighten the knot by pulling down on the wide end. Slide the knot up & adjust.


2- The Shelby-Pratt knot.

it is a great alternative to the four in hand you can never go wrong with. not too big and not too small, the Pratt knot provides you with the neat look and the symmetry you need without trying too hard. It goes with any collar style and can be worn for any occasion. It is best used with ties made of medium weight to heavy fabric. Find out of to do it and figure out if you like it or not. Personally I do J

· 1. Begin with the backside of your tie facing forward, the wide end of the tie on the right and the small end on the left. The tip of the small end should rest slightly above your belly-button (this will vary depending on your height and the length & thickness of your tie). Only move the active (wide) end.

· 2. Wide end under the small end to the left.

· 3. Up to the center, towards neck loop.

· 4. Through the neck loop and down to the left.

· 5. Across the small end to the right.

· 6. Up into the neck loop from underneath.

· 7. Down through the loop you've just created in the front.

· 8. Tighten the knot by pulling down on the wide end. Slide the knot up & adjust


3-The half-Windsor knot

 It is a knot that is a bit wider than the Pratt knot and looks good for about any occasion, talking more specifically about formal ones (gives you an assertive look when wearing this to a job interview. Go ahead and blow your interviewer mind away!). it works best with wide collars and ties made of light to medium weight fabrics. Because this knot is highly symmetric the chance to mess it up is higher. So follow the steps bellow to master the art of tying the perfect half-Windsor knot


· 1. Start with the wide end of the tie on the right and the small end on the left. The tip of the small end should rest slightly above your belly-button (this will vary depending on your height and the length & thickness of your tie). Only move the active (wide) end.

· 2. Wide end over the small end to the left.

· 3. Under the small end and to the right.

· 4. Up to the center, towards neck loop.

· 5. Through the neck loop and to the left.

· 6. Across the front, over to the right.

· 7. Up into the neck loop from underneath.

· 8. Down through the loop you've just created in the front.

· 9. Tighten the knot by pulling down on the wide end. Slide the knot up & adjust


 4- The Windsor knot

Okay so we are moving into the more classy stuff. The Windsor is not the type of knot one should be sporting everyday: it is a thick and full knot that projects confidence. It captures the look of everyone so if you are the person that feels awkward whenever people are staring at you too long or too much don’t attempt the Windsor knot. It works best with ties that are slightly longer than normal (a foot longer than usual) and made of light to medium weight fabrics. It must be worn with a wide spread collar. When to wear a Windsor knot? Wedding, business and political occasions but it doesn’t mean you cannot wear it whenever you want so indulge ;)

· 1. Start with the wide end of the tie on the right and the small end on the left. The tip of the small end should rest slightly above your belly-button (this will vary depending on your height and the length & thickness of your tie). Only move the active (wide) end.

· 2. Wide end over the small end to the left.

· 3. Up into the neck loop from underneath.

· 4. Down to the left.

· 5. Around the back of the small end to the right.

· 6. Up to the center, towards neck loop.

· 7. Through the neck loop and down to the right.

· 8. Across the front to the left.

· 9. Up into the neck loop from underneath.

· 10. Down through the loop you've just created in the front.

 · 11. Tighten the knot by pulling down on the wide end. Slide the knot up & adjust.


I hope this article helped you into solving the mystery behind how to tie a tie. Liked the article? Share it! Want to know more about other ways to tie a tie? Visit How To Tie A Necktie where you can discover amazing things and! watch video tutorials.
Happy? yeah I know... I know... Well... Enjoy